Cheap Thrills, Glamour Kills
by MyToxicValentine
Summary: Bella hates Edward. Edward loves Bella. Their families are best friends. What will happen when they arrange Bella and Edward's wedding. Will Bella fall in love with Edward? Will Edward tell her how he feels? EXB
1. Getting Married To Assward

**Not mine. :(

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**

Usually when someone says, "I hate you," there is an underlying meaning that that person actually does not hate whoever he or she is speaking to. Usually, it means that deep down, he or she really loves that person. He or she simply uses hate as a form of denial.

That was not the case when dealing with Edward Cullen. For I, in fact and all actuality, loathed him with all that I was. Ever since our parents thrust us together at the tender age of thirteen with high hopes that we would fall in love, we hated each other. There was no underlying love between us – just a hate that would stun and silence even the devil himself. He pulled my hair, I knocked his two front teeth out. He called me names, I dented both of his shins. He broke my arm, I broke his jaw. The kid was stuck in headgear throughout his freshman year of high school. I still make fun of his photograph every chance I get – which is a lot more often now that our parents dropped a bomb the size of Africa on our heads.

It was a Thursday night and I'd normally be out with my friends at this time. However, my parents had decided to arrange a dinner party for both our family and the Cullens. My father worked with Edward's in the corporate world, a mess of numbers and words that I couldn't understand. So for the entire dinner Edward and I glared at each other across the table, trying to one up the other. I won by kicking his already bruised shin. Smirking, I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest, completely ignoring the steaming meal before me. Edward scowled at me while bending down to rub his abused shin.

"So what exactly was the point of this dinner, mother, with the one boy I hate?" I asked sweetly in the middle of the meal. My mother half-glared at me as she set down her wineglass, but she was quick to grin brightly at my father and the Cullens. The four adults turned to focus on Edward and me. My eyes bounced from the adults to Edward, who sat just as confused as I was, back to the adults.

"Why, honey, so we could announce your engagement!" I choked on air, spluttering and coughing. Crazy, psycho woman say what?

"My what?" I cried, curling my hands into fists on the table. Edward looked like a deer in headlights, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. My mother and Mrs. Cullen smiled widely.

"Your engagement. To Edward." My heart stopped. Then I laughed, and their smiles dropped.

"You're joking right? Is this some early April Fool's joke?" I laughed, elbowing my mother. She was glaring at me and the rest of the adults and Edward were staring at me. My smile dropped and my laughter died down. "Please, tell me you're kidding."

"I'm afraid not, Isabella." My father shook his head and downed his wine and I wished I could be him. "The Cullens and I were discussing it and since Edward is going to, one day, take over his father's company, we thought it would be best if he didn't do it alone."

"But why me?" I argued, slamming my fist down on the table, but only enough to shake the silver- and glassware. "Why not one of the hoochies Edward normally hangs out with?"

"Because they are not born into money, Bella," Edward's mother, Esme, explained politely. She shook her head disapprovingly. "Maybe she's not ready, Renee."

"Yes!" I cried, turning to my mother. "I'm not ready. I'm only nineteen. I don't know the responsibilities of a housewife!" My mother tutted.

"Nonsense. She's perfectly ready. Look, Bella, Edward seems to enjoy the idea." I turned to look at Edward's emotionless face. He was staring at my mother and me with a blank look. I scoffed.

"He so does not." My mother's jaw clenched.

"Isabella Marie, you are to be married to Edward and that is final."

I find it pathetic that I am nineteen, living with my parents, and have no say in my life whatsoever. Being married at this tender age was not something I had in mind. Instead, I planned on partying it up until I was twenty-five and then I would get married and have children with the man I'm in love with – not someone I want to rip the heart out of every time I see him. I knew Edward wasn't happy about the idea; the boy was never particularly hard to read. But the fact that he didn't argue – not once – irked me to no end. Why wouldn't he fight it? It was blatant that we loathed each other and couldn't stand to be in the same room together; our parents were lucky we got through dinner without stabbing each other with forks and knives.

I sat up in my room with my cell phone open in my hand, thumb over the green 'send' button and the name 'Alice' highlighted. Obviously, she wouldn't be happy; she hated Ass-ward as much as I did. She had been my best friend since elementary school when we both fought over who got to use the dump truck first. She was there when I broke Cullen's jaw after he pushed me off my skateboard and made me break my arm. In fact, Alice lied to my parents' faces that Edward had simply lost his balance on the board. I gave him the dirtiest look possible when he threatened to tell the truth, and our parents still don't know exactly what happened.

As I was about to press the button, Edward walked into my room, a forlorn look on his face. I sighed in frustration and set my phone down on my bed. Alice would have to wait.

"What do you want, Ass-ward?" I growled, leaning back on my hands. He kicked at a dirty shirt on my floor with the toe of his shoe.

"I'm sorry about our parents." I raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"Really? That's all you're going to apologize for?" I retorted, straightening challengingly. He raised his chin and stared at me.

"Yes." Rolling my eyes, I stood up and pushed past him, unsure of where exactly I was going to go.

"Please. Save your pathetic apologies for someone who needs them. Like that girl you gave herpes to." Edward had always hated it when I implied that he was a walking STD bank. I was almost positive it was true since Edward had slept with almost every girl in our grade – except Alice and me.

"I told you. I don't have any STDs!" was his lame response. I snorted and walked downstairs, still partially unsure of my destination. The Cullens were still here and were discussing marital arrangements with my parents much to my utter disliking.

"Yeah, and I'm fucking Lief Ericson." I rolled my eyes as I walked out my front door without a response to my parents. As far as they knew, Edward and I were getting away to spend a little 'quality time together.' I scoffed at the thought; Edward would never step foot into my car. He might spread his crabs and herpes to my seats.

I left Edward on the curb, staring after my silver sedan. Smirking in the rear-view mirror, I turned towards Alice's house with my iPod blaring through the cassette player. I bobbed my head along and pulled in front of the big blue house with red shutters. I honked and waited and finally, my pixie best friend bounced out of her front door and jogged over to my car.

"What's up, buttercup?" she asked, closing the door. I roared away from the curb and sped down the rest of the street. I came to a rolling stop at a stop sign. "Uh, you're supposed to come to a complete stop there..."

"I'm getting married," I grumbled, bending over my steering wheel. Alice cooed and applauded, squealing in excitement.

"Can I help you pick out your colors? How about catering?" I sighed.

"You're forgetting the most important question, Ali. Aren't you going to ask who I'm getting married to?" A look of realization passed over her face and she giggled in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah. Well, who's the lucky guy?"

"Cullen."

"Ooh! Wait, what? Come again?"

"You heard me." I turned on my blinker and drove towards the end of town. "Our parents arranged it and dropped the bomb on us just tonight over dinner."

"Ew! Why Edward, though? I mean, sure, he's attractive but he's got the personality of a badger! He's always pissed off!" Alice remarked, grabbing the 'oh shit' bar as I took a turn too fast.

"Apparently, he's gotta take over his family business when his dad dies and his parents didn't want him to do it alone." I rolled my eyes at the stupidity of the idea and came to a stop at the boardwalk. I killed the engine and we sat in my car, further discussing my shitty luck.

"Dude, that's fucking stupid! I think he's perfectly capable of running whatever business his dad owns on his own!"

"Yeah, so do I, but apparently it's not enough to convince my parents." I sighed and rested my forehead on the wheel, shutting my eyes.

"Well, do you know when the ceremony is?" My head snapped up and I glared at Alice.

"No, let me get right on that." I rolled my eyes sardonically and put my head back down. Alice tutted and reached over to rub my back.

"Hey, at least he's good-looking. Be happy you're not getting married to that creepy old homeless guy who always sleeps in the cardboard box."


	2. He's The Ugly Duckling

**Not mine. :(

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My parents and the Cullens went house-shopping the next day, Edward and me in tow. They thought it would be a good idea to get us a house, furniture, and needed appliances so that our house would be ready to live in by the time our wedding came around. I sat in the way back of my parents' SUV with Edward. Our fathers were up front driving and riding shotgun, while our mothers chatted animatedly in the row in front of us. Edward and I had our backs to our parents, staring out the back window. We were silent and in identical positions – arms crossed with scowls on our faces.

"Look, Bella," Edward began to speak and I rolled my eyes, suppressing an agonizing groan. "I don't like this idea any more than you do. But it doesn't seem as if there's going to be anything to do about it. So I think the best thing for us would be to at least be civil towards each other."

I scoffed and turned my head to look him dead in the eye. "And I think the best thing would be for you to shut the fuck up and not talk to me." I could tell my statement frustrated him because the muscle in his jaw twitched; he was trying so hard not to lose it.

"At least I'm being the bigger person and trying to get along," he seethed through clenched teeth. He wasn't doing a very good job of containing his anger. I gritted my own teeth, locking my jaw.

"Please. You, Cullen, could never be the bigger person. That second man in your pants is way too small. No wonder your ego's so big. It's the only thing about you to brag about. That, and your fucking AIDS." I looked away from him and began humming a tune in my head. My foot tapped along and I felt Edward fuming beside me. He was glaring out the window when I turned to sneak a peek at him. Satisfied, I smirked and lay my head back against the headrest my mother was using and closed my eyes.

The realtor's office was a run-down place, but apparently they knew what they were doing. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here. My parents and the Cullens had been asked about a budget, but they simply ignored it. I guess they wanted their children to have the best.

Our parents were hoping to book the wedding in the summer, which was four months away, but I thought that was too soon – hell, I thought a million years was too soon. My mother wanted light pastel colors, like baby blue and mint green. Personally, black would have suited me, for it would indeed be the funeral for my freedom and sanity. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Edward walked behind me as we followed our parents into the realtor's. We reminded me of a family of ducks, except with four parents and only two ducklings. Edward was the ugly one, of course, and would never grow into a beautiful swan. The real estate agent was a frumpy old woman with aging red hair yanked painfully into a tight bun. Her pencil skirt stretched across her huge thighs and showed more cellulite-infested leg than my lunch would have settled for. Her size eleven feet were squished into heels much too small for them and she was missing a tooth.

Apparently our parents took notice of these as well because our mothers scrunched their noses up when they smelled something funky – like cottage cheese. I felt the bile rising in my throat just thinking about the kind and severity of infection she had going on down there and had to look away. She lead our parents out the door and she climbed into a pink Cadillac. No, not one of the classics – a deVille. It was the ugliest thing I had ever seen besides the load of horse shit standing next to me. We followed the woman in our primp SUV until we stopped at a big white farmhouse with a wrap-around porch. I fell in love with it instantly.

I didn't have to look around to decide that this was the house I wanted to live in. However, my mother thought it was way too old-fashioned, the basis of its appeal. So we left the house and searched for a nicer one. As we drove away from it, Edward smiled apologetically at me.

"What?" I snapped, turning a rueful gaze back towards the house. Sighing, I looked out the side window, remembering that I had no say in any of this.

"I liked it, too," Edward responded, catching me by surprise.

The next house we came to was the one we ended up buying; it was a huge Victorian-era house and it was ugly as hell. I scrunched my nose up and tried not to laugh at Edward's similar expression. At least we could agree on something. Our parents paid basically two arms, four legs, and a couple fingers for the house and the frumpy woman gave us the keys. The inside was expansive, and too big for just two people. There were four bedrooms, three baths, an attic, a basement, a dining room, a kitchen, a living room, a den, an office...too many rooms for two people. There was no way Edward and I would use all of these rooms, but our parents insisted on their children having the best.

Our parents let us do the furniture shopping on our own, but Edward and I couldn't agree on anything except which house we preferred to live in. He and I were arguing over what kind of couch to get. I wanted a simple white one, but Edward wanted the fancy suede, wrap-around couches. He wore the most childish glare on his face and I didn't want to put up with it anymore, so I threw my hands up.

"Fine! Buy the damn couch!" I called over my shoulder, heading towards mattresses. It was an unspoken agreement between Edward and me that we would sleep in separate bedrooms. As I browsed the mattresses, trying to pick the softest one, a thought occurred to me and I called Edward over. "What about when our parents come over? Won't they be a little suspicious of our not sleeping together?"

His eyebrows rose suggestively and my arm shot out to land a punch to his chest. He rubbed the sore spot, muttering something about 'being a joke'. In response to my question, he simply shrugged.

"Well, maybe we can set up both bedrooms but keep our stuff in one room together to make it seem like we're happy and sleeping together," he suggested. As much as I hated to admit it, I liked the idea and we quickly agreed and never spoke of it and its awkward wording again.

We bought our mattresses, separate bedsheets and a set of sheets that would suit the both of us in fooling our parents, dressers, vanities, and all the other necessities before our parents picked us up. My dad dropped the Cullens off at their home and Edward smirked sardonically at me as he uttered a farewell. I scoffed and looked away as a reply. Over a dinner of ravioli, my parents brought up the inevitable topic of grandchildren and I choked on my sparkling cider.

"Um, there is no way in hell that I am giving birth to children as long as their Edward's. I am in no way sleeping with that man. Ever," I finalized, scrunching up my nose at the mere mental image of Edward and I together. I shuddered and set down my fork, excusing myself due to loss of appetite thanks to that lovely topic.

I sighed as I lay back on my bed, dialing Alice's number and spilling all of the new details to her. "We bought this huge and ugly Victorian house and I hate it and my parents want grandchildren from me and Edward and I couldn't finish my dinner and now I'm hungry again. But now that topic of being with Edward keeps popping up in my mind and scaring my appetite away," I whined to her, hanging off the bed with my head upside down.

Alice chuckled on the other line. "I'd so hate to be you right now." I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks Alice. Your advice is so good I'll jump on it right this second," I remarked sarcastically, sitting up when I began to feel the sudden rush of blood to my head. I felt light-headed when I sat up and crossed my legs. "Is there any legal way to get out of an arranged marriage?"

I knew it was a rhetorical question, but apparently Alice didn't. "Not that I know of. Sorry kid."

"That's all right. Listen, I'm gonna hit the hay. I'll call you tomorrow, kay?" She responded and we hung up.

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**Pics on profile link.**


	3. He's Already Lying

**Not mine. :(

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My mother booked the wedding for June eighteenth, officially four months and three days away. So Esme, my mother, Alice, and I had all gone out to look at bridesmaid dresses. Alice, needless to say, was going to be my Maid of Honor, so she was allowed to pick her own dress. Except, according to my mom, it had to be a shade of purple. I was fine with purple. In fact, I was glad my mother let me choose at least one color for my own wedding. The dress Alice picked out was closer to pink than purple, but it looked incredible on her and my mother approved.

We found four more dresses in the same color for my friends Angela, Renesmee, and Charlotte, and one for Edward's good lady friend, Tanya. I remembered Tanya from high school – blonde, perfect, cheerleader. Oh and she dated Edward for a while. So when she found out Edward and I were getting hitched, she wasn't pleased and she hated me by association. Not a fair game, if you ask me.

My mother chose off-white gowns while I wanted pure white. Esme requested one with ruffles and bows, but I politely rejected each one.

"Ooh! Bella, how about this one?" Alice called from behind a rack. I turned around to see the most gorgeous wedding dress ever.

"That's the one," I said without hesitation, my eyes running over the dress lustfully. She handed it to me and I took it into the dressing room, tossing the previous one over the door. When I came out, Alice and Esme gasped. My mother didn't look pleased with it and I caught her numerous times looking back at one of the ugly dresses I tried on. "This is perfect."

"I don't like it," my mother tutted. "Take it off. I'm not buying it." I stared at my mother.

"This is my wedding, mother," I seethed, feeling irate that my mother would pull this shit. "And I think I should wear the dress I want to." She shrugged.

"Wear whatever you want, but I'm not paying for it." Sighing, I gave up and took it off, putting it back on the hanger and into the plastic case. I glared viciously at my mother as I passed her and left the dress store, ready to give up on wedding preparations for today.

Alice and I hung out at my new abode – Edward had gone out with a few friends and wouldn't return until later in the evening. I laughed as Alice grimaced at the Victorian house.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Want to see the house I wanted?"

So Alice and I drove out to see the farmhouse I originally wanted to buy. However, we weren't the only people there. Ass-ward himself was staring up at the house. Grumbling under my breath, I got out of my car.

"What's he doing here?" Alice whispered as we walked towards Edward and the house. I shrugged and Edward turned around, surprised to see me here.

"Bella. What are you doing here?" he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows together. I nodded towards the house.

"I wanted to show Alice. But we've seen it now so I think we'll get going." Alice and I turned away from him and drove back to the ugly house. Why was Edward there in the first place? And I thought he was out with his friends? I scoffed. We weren't even married yet and already he was lying to me.

Alice went home around eight and Edward came home at nine thirty. I was just getting out of the shower when he walked by, doing a double-take at the fact that I was clad in only a towel. I rolled my eyes and pulled the Q-tip from my ear.

"Take a fucking picture," I growled, stomping to my bedroom and slamming the door harder than necessary. I changed into a pair of pajama shorts and a camisole and sat on my bed, contemplating how my life had been going so well and suddenly it turned to shit. I mean, sure, I still had Alice and my other friends, but the fact that I was getting married to guy I loathed with my entire being outweighed any positive thing in my life.

I frowned. I wonder how my parents would react to my refusal to mother Edward's child? Shaking my head, I knew they wouldn't be happy. We'll adopt, but there was no way I was letting Edward's Little Edward anywhere near my nether regions. And if he thought I would comply with our parents' wishes for grandchildren, he could forget it.

I tossed and turned in my bed, unable to find sleep. As I lay there, I stared up at the ceiling. From the room down the hall, I could barely hear the strumming of a guitar and a voice followed it soon after. I sat up in bed, listening intently. I recognized the song as 'Our Sick Story (Thus Far)' by Atreyu. I wasn't big on the band, but there were a couple songs I could bear to listen to. I couldn't help but realize how comparable the title was to Edward's and my lives. Suddenly I frowned.

I hadn't always hated Edward. In fact, when we were first introduced at thirteen, we got a long kind of well, taking a shared interest in skateboarding. But when Edward fell off his board and I started laughing at him, he attacked me, pulling my hair, and I punched him in the mouth and knocked his front teeth out. That was what started it all. And really, Edward didn't fall off accidentally. We were playing S.K.A.T.E. and he was winning. I was pretty competitive at that age and I couldn't stand the thought of losing, especially to Edward. So I tossed a pebble when he was busy concentrating on his trick in front of his board's wheel and he went ass-over-head into the pavement.

Even though she hates him just as much as I do, Alice never stopped making me feel guilty about making him fall. She blamed me for the reason we hated each other, and she was kind of right, but I held no remorse for Edward. He was a dick to me from then on, but whenever I used this as an excuse, Alice always overturned it with, "Well he wouldn't be such a dick to you if you hadn't laughed at him when you were thirteen."

Damn her for being skillful in the art of showing people up.


	4. So Buy Fucking Curtains

**Not mine. :(

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"I don't want it there! It's in the way of the fucking window!" I yelled, pointing wildly at the big-screen television Edward had insisted on buying. He wanted in front of our living room window, but I wanted it against the wall where it wouldn't be an eyesore for the people driving by.

"I don't care where you fucking want it!" he roared back, turning a glare on me. "I want it here! I don't need people fucking looking in my front window!"

"So buy fucking curtains! Don't use a goddamn television to block it!" I threw my hands in the air, turning towards the kitchen. I slammed my fist down on the counter and fumed silently.

Edward was so goddamn difficult to work with. I compromised with him on the fucking couch. Couldn't he at least let me choose where to put the television? I groaned out loud and put my head in my hands. How could my parents expect me to be happy with a man who paid more attention to his hair than a girl did? Or could speak to a woman the way he did? It just didn't make sense to me at all. My parents' logic was fucked up.

"Bella? I'm sorry – "

"Fucking save it, Edward," I snarled, shoving by him. His hand grabbed my arm and yanked me back into him. He gripped both of my upper arms and stared me in the eye.

"I'm not going to fucking save it, Bella." He was whispering hoarsely and I felt my nerves kick in. I swallowed. "For once, let me fucking apologize without you biting my head off. I am sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you the way I did. Your right. Curtains would look better in the window than a TV. We'll put it against the wall."

"Why are you suddenly compromising?" I mumbled, drawing my gaze away from him. He let go of my arms and sighed.

"Because even though I don't want this marriage as much as you don't, there's nothing we can do to get out of it. And frankly, fighting with you constantly is getting on my nerves." I looked at my shoes but Edward quickly tilted my chin back up. I felt my cheeks flush at the contact and a small smile formed on his face. "Let's at least try to be civil towards each other, yeah?"

"Fine," I mumbled, breaking eye contact and pulling my chin out of his fingers. I walked back into the living room, prepared to move the TV and confused as to what the hell just happened.

Esme stopped by later in the evening with a dress bag in her hands. She shooed Edward from the room every time he tried to peek until she had to take drastic measures and lock him out. She hung the dress on the top of my closet door and unzipped it. I felt my mouth fall open. Inside was the wedding dress my mother refused to buy for me.

"What? How?" I stammered, picking up the skirt of the gown and staring at Esme. She smiled warmly. "Esme, what is this?"

"It's your wedding dress, silly!" she chirped. "Since your mother wouldn't buy it and it looked gorgeous on you, I thought that this would be one of your wedding presents from us."

"Esme, this is too much," I tried to argue but she held up a hand, silencing me.

"I don't want to hear it. You needed a dress and I needed to give you a present. Voila. Two birds with one stone." Without thinking I stepped forward and hugged her tightly. She chuckled and returned the embrace.

"Thank you so much, Esme."

"Your welcome, honey." She kissed my cheek and was out the door in a matter of seconds. Edward tried to see the dress, but I reminded him that it was bad luck, so he stomped away. I smiled despite myself.

My mother wasn't happy that I got the dress of my dreams, but she was a little relieved that she didn't have to pay for it. My mother was so cheap. She invited Edward and his family out to dinner with us at Olive Garden. Regardless of the arranged marriage, I still loved the Olive Garden and agreed instantly. Edward and I drove together in silence. I was afraid that if I said anything, Edward would take it the wrong way, or vice versa, and it would fuel a huge argument.

"All right, game plan," Edward joked as we stepped out of his car. I raised an eyebrow at him. "Let's at least act the part of happy newlyweds-to-be, yeah?" Sighing, I nodded and Edward grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together.

"I'm so glad to see that you're getting along!" my mother chirped once she saw our conjoined hands. I fought off an eye roll and we sat down, ordering almost instantly.

"So, when can we expect grandchildren?" Esme asked in the middle of dinner. Edward snorted and I choked on my spaghetti. I thought I made it perfectly clear that Edward and I would in no way be sleeping together.

"Um, we'll adopt," I answered, sipping my water. My mother glared and Esme looked slightly disappointed. "I'm not really big on the idea of childbirth. And there's no way we're ready for that yet. If we'll ever be is still a mystery."

"Well, I want at least one granddaughter," Esme mumbled and the whole table, minus Edward and me, chuckled.

On the ride home, Edward and I went back and forth about the grandchild conversation. "How can she expect us to have kids so soon?" he cried. "We aren't even married yet!"

"Even still, once we are, there is no way I am giving birth to your kid," I grumbled, going back into my moody shell. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward frown for a moment but he quickly composed himself.

"Not like I'd want you to be the mother of my kids anyways." I sighed, back to square one. So much for his not liking to fight with me.


	5. Chinese And A Sappy Movie

**Not mine. :(

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**

I wasn't ready for this. No way in hell. Standing in the aisle in my ideal wedding dress, with my father to give me away, may have seemed like the traditional, perfect wedding. The only problem was the groom. He wasn't the man I fell in love with, not the man whose child I wanted to carry. I couldn't help but feel that this entire wedding was wrong and a mistake. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I was supposed to fall in love before getting married. I was supposed to choose my husband, not have my parents pick a name out of a hat.

I sighed as the wedding march began to play on the organ behind the altar. Edward was standing in his black tux and my bridesmaids and Maid of Honor were all looking beautiful in their dresses. Tanya was glaring at me while Alice was scowling at Tanya. Angela, Renesmee, and Charlotte pretended not to notice the cat fight that would ensue. Edward stepped down from the altar once I reached it, and my father kissed my cheek and handed me off to him. While Edward smiled sadly, I frowned.

As the priest went through the vows, I mechanically said, 'I do', mindlessly slipped the ring onto Edward's left finger, and let him pull my veil over my head when the last line was given. Edward bit his lip before pressing a light, quick kiss to my lips. I didn't kiss back. As he kissed me, I felt my freedom fly right out those ugly stained glass windows. He took my arm as the guests cheered and we exited the church, having rice thrown around us, and got into the limo. Edward sat as far away from me as he could without making it suspicious.

I sniffed. "I don't want to go to the reception." Edward frowned but reached over to take my hand lightly. I ripped it away.

"I figured as much." He switched the directions given to the limo driver and he took us home. Once we were inside, I headed up to my room without a look over my shoulder at Edward's forlorn stare. I slid out of my dress, changed, and lay on my bed.

It didn't take long for my tears and makeup to stain my pillows. I spent all afternoon and all night up in my room, occasionally glaring at the ring on my finger. Sighing, I pulled it off and tossed it onto the floor. It didn't take very long for my mother and Esme to barge into our house when they realized that I wasn't attending the reception.

"Why aren't you at the reception?" my mother screeched, entering my room with Esme and Edward on her heels. I lifted my head momentarily to glare at her.

"Fuck off," I seethed, not giving a shit about my language anymore.

"Excuse me, Isabella? You do not speak to your mother that way!" Her voice was still loud and shrill and it was worsening my current headache. I shot up from the bed and stood in front of her.

"I don't care. You've ruined my life." I brushed past the three of them and took refuge in the bathroom, locking the door. I heard my mother and Esme walk down the stairs followed by soft knocking on the door. "Go away." I sniffed and wiped my nose with my sleeve.

The door opened anyways and Edward walked in. "Bella?" he whispered. I glared blurry-eyed up at him but I couldn't hold it. This wasn't his fault. He pulled me up off the toilet and into his arms, the first civil contact we'd had besides our kiss which wasn't really a kiss at all. "I know, Bella. But let's try and make this work. I'm willing if you are."

"How can we make this work, Edward?" I asked, sobbing once while pulling back to look up at him. "We don't even like each other. We're nineteen! We're not supposed to be married!"

"I know, but that doesn't mean we can't try and make this work. Even though I don't show it a lot, I care about you, Bella. I really do. And seeing you upset like this, it...I don't know, it makes me feel guilty. I don't want you to be upset because you're married to me. Sure, we don't like each other all that much, but that doesn't mean I don't want to at least try with you." He tilted my wet chin up so I met his eyes. I didn't see a single lie in them. Sighing, I nodded and sniffed. He smiled a little and it made me smile, too.

"That's what I like to see," he whispered and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. I wiped my eyes and stepped away from him. "Now, how about we order some Chinese and a sappy movie?" I choked out a laugh and nodded, taking the hand that Edward offered me.

"Hey Edward?" I asked halfway through my lo-mein and our movie. He swallowed his chicken and looked at me. "I'm not going to, you know, stop you from your hobbies." When he raised an eyebrow, I elaborated. "I know you like to party and have sex with random girls. Since we're in this by force and not by love, I'm not going to be hurt if you don't come home some nights."

He hesitated a while, thinking of what he was going to say. "Even if we were forced into this, that doesn't mean I'm going to turn around and be an unfaithful husband. I'm not a jackass." I smiled despite myself and scooted closer to him, setting my lo mein down on the coffee table. He put down his beer and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He kissed my hair and we turned back to our movie.

As I lay in my bed that night, my wedding band still on the floor, I realized that maybe, if Edward and I worked on our communication skills, we could be happy together even though we weren't in love. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that Edward would work on this with me. In fact, I was positive that he would if I discussed it with him. The only way I would accept this marriage was if I was happy in it.


	6. Fighting With Edward Didn't Seem So Bad

**Not mine. :(

* * *

**

Edward and I were getting better in talking to each other, but it didn't stop us from getting into petty fights. We would argue about what movie to watch, what to make for dinner, even what color to paint the living room. I had never met someone that could spark so much anger in me that I wanted to rip all of my hair out. It was a given: Edward Cullen knew which buttons to push and how to push them.

One night, however, our fight was anything but petty and pointless. Edward hadn't come home until the next afternoon, hungover. He reeked of alcohol and sex with a smug grin on his face and the first thing I did was slap him. Even though I told Edward that I wouldn't mind if he continued his partying ways, it still bothered me enough to do something about it. For God's sake, we were married. And what if someone we knew saw him with another girl? Just because we didn't like each other, it didn't mean that I liked being cheated on.

"What the fuck was that for?" he cried, holding his cheek. I glared venomously at him.

"For not fucking coming home last night!" I roared, getting in his face. "And you fucking reek of sex, you dirt bag!" He didn't back down like I thought he would. Instead, he got right back in my face.

"I thought you didn't fucking care about that? You said I could still party and sleep with random girls!" he bellowed. I slapped him again.

"And you said you weren't a fucking jackass! You promised you wouldn't do that!" My voice cracked, giving it away that I was getting close to tears. Edward, though, barely noticed. He continued to yell at me and took it as far as pushing me back into the wall. I shoved his chest, sending him a few steps back.

"Well, obviously I'm going to take advantage of the fact that I still have my freedom!" I slapped him a third time.

"That doesn't mean I'd do the same!"

"That's because you don't have a dick to think with!" I slapped him again. "Stop fucking hitting me!"

"Fuck you!" I yelled. Our yelling ended but our glaring contest continued. Anger bubbled within me and it took all of me to not hit him again or bash his head into the floor.

"Fuck," Edward muttered before advancing on me again and crashing his lips to mine. I tried to fight him, bracing my hands against his chest, but he was too strong and my logical thinking was cut off.

Edward and I hadn't kissed since our wedding day, and this was nothing like that day. Edward's lips were rough and hungry and his tongue swept across my bottom lip. Obliging, I let him in and my tongue met with his. My fingers tangled themselves in his hair, pulling and tugging and making Edward groan into my mouth. His hands roamed down my sides and grabbed the backs of my thighs, and he hoisted me up against the wall. I locked my legs around him as our tongues continued to battle until his mouth ripped from mine and found my neck. I tilted my head back against the wall, giving him better access. He nipped and licked, drawing short, soft moans from me. I felt him smirk against my neck and he reattached our lips. With me still in his arms, he headed towards the stairs. We landed on his bed, me underneath him, and our hands were hasty in tearing the clothes from our bodies. I fumbled with his belt buckle. He struggled with my bra strap. Our struggles only intensified the excitement and desire we felt and finally, our clothes were scattered on the floor.

Edward kissed me again, roughly, as he slid into me. I moaned into his mouth and ran my nails down his back as he began a face pace. Our breathing quickly became heavy and our hearts raced. Our hips collided so roughly that it made me whimper. Edward's hands latched onto my thighs and I leaned up to trail kisses down his neck. Sweat formed on our bodies as Edward kept up his rhythm.

"Oh God," I sighed, raking my nails down Edward's back. He grunted as his thrusts became erratic and uneven, his climax drawing near. I felt my own coming closer as my walls began to tighten. My head tilted back as Edward rode out both of our orgasms, groaning loudly. I screamed out his name as ecstasy surrounded us.

Sighing, Edward pulled out and fell onto the bed beside me. We lay panting in sweat, our anger having been thrown into our intimacy.

"I'm sorry," we panted in unison. Edward reached for me and I slid over, laying my head on his sweaty chest, trying to catch my breath. I felt Edward kiss my hair. We stayed silent, our eyes closed, until Edward got up to shower. I heard the water turn on and I sat up.

Suddenly, fighting with Edward didn't seem so bad – if every fight had end results like that. My cell phone rang from my jeans pocket and I stooped to pick it up. It was my mother; I let it go to voicemail. I lay back in bed and closed my eyes, sighing in comfort. Never had I been as satisfied as I was then.


	7. Just Have To Try Harder

**Not mine. :(

* * *

**

Edward and I went out to dinner with our parents a week later. These dinner things were getting to be routine, one every week, but that didn't change my disliking for them. I hated playing nice with Edward just to give my parents the peace of mind that we were, in fact, happy. Although we weren't fighting as often, when we were fighting, they were more vicious than any of our previous little fights. Truth be told I hated fighting with him, but damned if I lie and say I didn't enjoy the outcome of every argument.

It seemed as if either of us would find something to fight about nowadays just for the makeup sex that was guaranteed afterward. It was almost a second nature for us to pick fights and make up.

Sure, the sex was fun, but the fighting was not. Sometimes we'd call each other out on the most random of things even if we were positively sure that we were wrong about it. It was pathetic, really, the way we depended on fighting just for the sex. It was as if we couldn't be intimate otherwise.

Which gave me an idea.

Edward had invited his friends over one afternoon; this was the first time I'd met them and I felt a little offended that, after being married for almost a month and a half already, he had never brought them around to meet his wife. Referring to Edward as my husband still tasted bitter on my tongue and I tried to use that word as rarely as possible. The only time I used it was when I was formally introducing him to a stranger or to a family friend – which wasn't very often.

The four boys were sitting around, each with a beer in his hand, and watching the Seahawks game. I stayed out of the way; football and I didn't quite go hand-in-hand. I didn't really see the point of a bunch of huge guys barreling down the field with a leather ball. So I stayed in my room – no, Edward and I hadn't gotten to the point of moving into the same room, and I preferred to keep it that way. When Edward and I fought, and makeup sex wasn't involved, I liked to hole myself up in my room for hours on end in hopes that it would make Edward feel extremely guilty about something he'd said – even if the fight was my fault.

That was another thing. Even though more than half the time I started the fights, something rude and vile always came out of Edward's mouth, but whether it was by accident or on purpose I couldn't tell. Whatever he said would make me cry and then I'd be in my room. Edward would sit downstairs for a while, mull over what he'd said, then come upstairs to apologize, and things just went from there. Half the time I never fully forgave him for saying what he did, but the sex was good enough to make me forget at least for a little while.

It felt weird, being intimate with Edward when usually we couldn't stand to look at each other, much less be around one another. He never showed any affection – except that one time in the bathroom where he promised he would try to make this work – towards me, and so I reciprocated. We spent more than half our time ignoring each other, and the rest of it was spent fighting and making up.

I sighed. This isn't what I wanted out of a marriage. As good as the sex was, I didn't like always having to fight with Edward just to get it. Fighting with him brought out the worst in both of us, and we often said things we didn't mean. Our word vomit was horrendous – if our parents heard the words exchanged between us, they would die of shock-induced heart attacks. Edward and I were going on a month and half of being married and we'd managed to do thus far was fight.

It was pathetic, really, the way we went back and forth at each other.

Edward's friends didn't stay for much longer, only until about halftime. I didn't question it as I heard them leave the house. Sitting upstairs with a magazine in my hands was what I'd been doing the entire afternoon, afraid to step downstairs and be confronted by one of Edward's buddies. I didn't know them and they didn't know me. I didn't see them as being my friends by association and the same went for Edward. We had separate friends, lead separate lives. The only places our lives met were the wedding bands on our fingers.

I heard Edward's footsteps on the stairs, heading towards his room. I didn't know what he did in there all day when he wasn't watching television, for I knew for a fact that he didn't have one. I chewed on my bottom lip, deep in thought. I wanted to prove to Edward that we could still get along when we weren't making up. I wanted this to feel like a real marriage – without the love.

So, bucking up the necessary courage, I set down my magazine and waltzed over to Edward's closed bedroom door. I knocked lightly and was invited in. Edward was laying on his bed, his arms behind his head, eyes closed.

"Are you tired?" I asked him quietly. Without opening his eyes, he shook his head no. "Hungry?" Another head shake. "Oh. I was, um, going to make something rather than getting takeout again."

"I'm not hungry." Suppressing a groan, I sighed instead and got up from his bed. I hesitated in the doorway before I left in case he had second thoughts. He didn't say anything.

I sat downstairs in the living room with the television muted, chewing on a fingernail. I wondered if he actually wondered why I was suddenly putting so much effort into a nice meal. If he even cared. But with the monotonous tone to his voice, I guessed that he didn't. I frowned. I just needed to try harder...that's all.


	8. Peace Offering

**Not mine. :(

* * *

**

So the next evening, declining my mother's dinner invitation, I cooked. Edward had gone out with his friends for whatever reason – he didn't tell me where he was going much of the time – and I spent the afternoon making my grandmother's recipe for spaghetti sauce. Before she passed away, she made sure to teach me how to make it for my kids and grandchildren. It was a bitch to make, but in the end, it was worth it. I even wore her old apron as I bustled around the kitchen.

Once the sauce was almost fully finished, I tossed the spaghetti into the boiling pot beside the sauce and covered it, letting it soften. As I waited, I turned on the television and watched from the kitchen. The Steve Wilkos Show was on, and some fucking idiot tried to lie to her husband about his having a daughter. Rather than continue to watch this girl sit there, without accounting for her actions, never mind apologizing, I turned it off and back to my spaghetti.

Edward came home when I was setting the bowl of pasta on the kitchen table. Once he'd unlaced and kicked off his Nike Dunks, he turned towards the kitchen and he froze. Out of nervousness, I bit my lip and wrung my hands in front of me, looking down. I heard his socked feet heading into the room and I glanced up. He was staring at the table with an unreadable expression and it was killing me. Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet.

"Wh-What's all this?" he asked, spreading his arms to gesture towards the meal I had lain out. I smiled a little as Edward's eyes snapped back to me.

Shrugging my shoulders, I responded, just as quietly, "I just wanted to do something, you know, for you... For us. I'm tired of fighting, Edward, I really am." My voice had risen in volume as I spoke, back to its normal octave.

"So this is like a peace offering?" I nodded slowly with a one-shoulder shrug and watched as a slow smile crept onto his face. I couldn't help but smile back as he maneuvered around the table to stand before me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "You didn't have to do this, Bella."

"Yes I did," I retorted, meeting his gaze. "I really did. I'm sick of fighting with you and always spending money to order takeout. I'm surprised we're each not five-hundred pounds yet." Edward chuckled and bent to press his forehead against mine. His eyes bore into mine and, with a blink of an eye, he was dipping his head and his lips were meeting mine.

This kiss was nothing like the others Edward and I had shared. While the others were furious, angry, and needy, this one was simple, soft, and loving. As our mouths moved in sync, I sighed in content. This was how a marriage should be. Edward moved his hands upward to cup my face and I wrapped mine around his waist, bringing him closer. We broke apart and stared at each other. Before Edward could dive in for another one, I pressed my palm against his chest.

"The food's getting cold," I chuckled. Grinning, Edward pecked me once more and pulled the chair out for me. I ditched the apron and sat in the chair he offered me, my heart swelling at the sudden affection.

Edward served himself and I watched as he twirled the spaghetti onto his fork and lifted it to his mouth. I paused with my fork in front of my mouth as he chewed and then swallowed.

"How is it?" I asked self-consciously. He smiled appreciatively at me, nodding.

"It's really, really good. Nice job, Bells." I blushed at the new nickname and bit into my own spaghetti.

After dinner, Edward helped me wash the dishes. He washed and I dried. He spoke as we stood side by side in front of the sink.

"You know, you really didn't have to cook, Bell. If you wanted to stop fighting, all you had to do was say something to me." He didn't look up from the dishes as he spoke. I sighed through my nose quietly.

"Well, sometimes words aren't enough, Eddie." Smiling softly, he looked over at me and leaned over to press his lips to mine. I set down the plate I'd been drying along with the towel, and he put down the sprayer and his plate.

Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me against him and ran his tongue along my bottom lip. Obliging, I parted my lips to make way for his tongue. It met with mine and as they fought for dominance, his hands moved from my hips to my back, slipping under my t-shirt. I sighed into his mouth and he smirked against my lips.

Before it could go any farther than that, my cell phone rang from the counter. Groaning in unison, Edward and I split apart and I reached over to grab it. Alice flashed on the LCD screen. With an apologetic glance towards Edward, I flipped it open and answered.

"Hey Alice." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward turn around to head into the living room.

"Hey girl. You doing anything tonight?" she asked. From the echo and distance in her voice, I guessed that I was on speaker.

"Um," I stammered, looking back towards the living room where Edward sat on the couch watching the news. "No, I guess not."

"Great! We're going out. I'll be over in fifteen." Click. Pulling the phone away from my ear, I stared at the blinking time on the phone. Not even fifteen seconds. Closing it, I shut my eyes quickly and reopened them. I headed into the living room.

"Hey Edward?" I asked, wringing my hands behind my back.

"Hmm?" he hummed without looking at me.

"Um, Alice wants to go out." He turned his head then and stared up at me. A smile stretched across his face.

"All right." He stood and walked over to me. "Go have fun."

"You're...you're not mad?" I asked, figuring he knew what I was talking about. He chuckled and brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

"Of course not. There's plenty of time for that." Catching me by surprise, he dipped his head and swept up my lips in another passionate, but brief, kiss. It left me breathless despite its quickness and all I could was stare up at him. He chuckled again. "Go get changed. You've got spaghetti sauce all over you."

Sure enough, when I looked down, my white shirt was splattered with the stuff. Blushing, I nodded and ran up the stairs. I changed both my jeans and my shirt and by the time I came back downstairs, Alice was inside and glaring daggers at Edward.

"Hey girl," she said when she noticed me. "Ready?" Nodding, I strode over to Edward, pecked him once, and left with Alice. Once we were in the car, the interrogation began.

"What the fuck was that?" she all but screeched. I cringed at the shrillness of her voice and decided to play dumb.

"What was what?" She turned a glare on me and I shrunk down a little into my seat. She turned the engine over and raced away from the curb, destination unknown to me.

"Don't play dumb with me, Bella. That fucking kiss in there. I thought you hated Cullen?" she hissed, breaking her concentration to glare at me again. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"I guess I don't hate him." I looked down as I said this but, instead of softening like I'd expected, Alice growled.

"No, you fucking don't. And I wanna know what the fuck is up with that." I whipped my head around to face her.

"Why do you want to know so badly? And why is it such a bad thing that I don't hate Edward?" I shot back, suddenly wishing I'd declined her offer of going out.

Alice stammered out syllables but couldn't form actual words. I knew I had her. "He's just a fucking prick," she growled, slumping over the steering wheel. Something told me there was little more to it than that, but I let it be, thinking it was better to end this night on a good note rather than in the hospital.


	9. Sweet And Bubbly And Happy

**Not mine. :(

* * *

**

It was no surprise that I woke up alone the next morning, but the sound of running water dismissed any negative thought that would have the balls to rear its ugly head. With my head on Edward's pillow, and the smell of his shampoo making its way to my nose, I smiled and closed my eyes again while a yawn escaped me. The water shut off and a minute later Edward stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair plastered to his forehead. He smiled warmly at me, fueling the flame that was the blush on my cheeks. It was bad enough that he was in only a towel, but when he was smiling like that at me, it only made me blush harder.

"Morning, Bells," he said quietly, bracing himself on the bed to lean over and kiss my cheek. I smiled in greeting and leaned up on my elbows to connect our lips.

"Morning," I responded when we pulled away. Edward chuckled and strode towards the closet, picking out clothes for the day. As common courtesy, I turned around when he removed the towel from his waist.

"You've already seen me naked, Bella," he laughed while I flushed crimson. Still I didn't turn around and once I heard the zipper on his pants, I turned onto my back. "Are you hungry?"

As a response, my stomach growled and Edward grinned at me. "My turn to cook," he announced, heading out of the room shirtless. I watched his bare back as he descended the stairs, stopping once to flash me a heart-stopping smile. Returning it, I got up and threw on a pair of his basketball shorts and followed him downstairs.

His eyes trailed down to the shorts when he saw me, and he smirked, meeting my eyes. "You look good in my clothes." Blushing, again, I sat down at the kitchen table. "Whaddya want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes sound good right about now." Grinning, Edward nodded and dug the ingredients out of the cabinets and the fridge. As he passed me, he pecked me on the forehead. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"I really don't know," he honestly replied. "I'm just...happy." Hearing this made me smile wider than I ever thought was possible.

All I had wanted was for Edward to be happy with me. It may not have been that way at the beginning of our marriage, but things certainly changed when you're least expecting it. I couldn't believe how fast Edward and I had grown used to each other. In a few simple months, we had matured from wanting to rip one another's head off to being sweet and bubbly and happy. Knowing that Edward was happy made me happy, and that was the best feeling in the world.

After a delicious breakfast courtesy of Edward, he offered to take me out for the day. With no reluctance whatsoever, I showered, got dressed, and we left. Our first stop was the beach. It was nigh vacant, since it wasn't a particularly good beach day, and only a few people scattered the sand. We walked down the beach hand-in-hand, like any normal couple, and I was perfectly at ease. Judging by the smile on Edward's face when we found a cluster of sand dollars, he was too. We wandered the beach for a while and scoped out the rocks, picking up crabs and starfish whenever we found them. Edward was pinched on the pinkie by a good-sized crab and it deemed the end of our beach trip when he started bleeding.

Our next stop was an old costume store. It had things from the 70s through the 90s, and Edward and I had a blast trying on the different outfits. The old couple behind the counter smiled at us every time we struck a silly pose or even walked out of the dressing room wearing one of the silly costumes. I don't think I'd ever laughed so hard in my life.

Following that escapade was lunch. He took me to Bertucci's, and he paid. Although I complained a lot, he was hell bent on setting things straight with us and that included, he insisted, paying for lunches and whatnot. So I stopped complaining and let him treat me to a day on the town.

We didn't return home by almost eight and by then, I had twenty missed calls and twice as many messages. Edward and I agreed that it would be a good idea to leave the phones at home to ensure quality bonding time. Most of the calls were from my mother and only two were from Alice, but she had been the sender of a majority of the text messages. Mostly they were apologies for the night before. With a quick reply, I left my phone on the counter; I let my mother's missed calls go ignored.

Edward was in the living room, scrunched up on the couch while watching a prerecorded episode of Leno. I sat down beside him and he instantly snaked his arms around me and brought me closer, pressing a kiss to my temple.

"Thank you for today, Edward," I said quietly, tilting my head up to stare him in the eye. He smiled and lowered his head to connect our lips. It started off as innocent, but that quickly changed when Edward's tongue touched my bottom lip and I parted them to let him in.

Shifting, he moved us so that I was lying on top of him and not once did our mouths disconnect. His hands trailed up the back of my shirt and danced across my skin, as mine pressed on his shoulders. I sighed into the kiss as Edward's tongue wrestled with mine and lightly I bit down on his bottom lip. Groaning, he easily flipped us over so that I was beneath him, squished in the cushions of the couch. Edward's mouth never left my skin as it traveled from my lips to my jaw to my neck. I leaned my head back against the arm of the couch as his teeth and tongue worked their magic. When he bit down on the skin just before my collarbone, I let out a soft moan. Quiet as it was, it was reason enough for Edward to suggest moving this to the bedroom. I didn't argue as he led me up the stairs, pausing every two to turn around and kiss me again, and finally into the bedroom.

Edward landed on his back and I fell on top of him, reconnecting our lips again. As his hands began to travel to my back again, I trailed my kisses to his neck and sucked on the skin below his ear. He groaned softly, a guttural noise escaping from his throat. His fingers played with the hem of my t-shirt that had risen up to expose my midriff and, taking his hint, I reached down to pull it up and over my head. It was the first item in our clothing pile that inevitably grew bigger with every passing minute. Edward turned us over once I'd gotten my pants off, leaving me in my bra and underwear. I all but tore his shirt off of him and threw it to the ground and my hands instantly went for the button on his jeans. He chuckled against my skin as his tongue toyed with the skin on my neck. My eyes shut and my head tilted back, giving him better access, as my hands continued to fumble with his button. Sensing my trouble, he reached down and easily popped the button with one hand. Once his fly was down and his jeans were sliding off his legs, his hands went for my bra clasp and his skilled fingers unclasped it easily. It, too, joined the ever-growing pile of clothing.

Edward trailed his mouth to my now exposed chest. As his mouth found a nipple, I gasped in surprise, arching my back into him. I felt him smirk against the skin and he began to suck and bite down on the tender nub. My hands tangled in his hair as he continued his teasing. One of his hands began traveling down my side and fingered my underwear line. Then he hooked his finger into my panties and tugged them down, letting me kick them off my legs. I was now fully naked before him and his mouth continued to tug and suck on my breast. As his hand returned to its place between my legs, I moaned aloud when his thumb ran over my clit. Then without warning, he inserted a finger into me and my grip on his hair tightened and I pulled. My mouth fell open as another moan escaped me when he pushed another finger in and began pumping them. Amazing was not enough to describe how it felt. As I felt the pressure in my lower stomach heightening, he quickly pulled his fingers out.

"Not yet," he whispered huskily when I pouted. To go along with his previous statement, he stripped his boxers off his legs and kissed me roughly, the tip probing my entrance. He ground his hips into me without entering me and I moaned in protest.

"Enough teasing," I squeaked as his member touched me again. I moved my hands down to his shoulders as slowly, he entered me. My nails dug into his skin as we shared a sigh, muffling it with a heated kiss. His pace started off slow, but with a few urges of 'harder, faster' from me, he had quickly built up a steady rhythm. In response, I bucked my hips to meet his thrusts.

"God..." he sighed against my neck, continuing his rhythm. I moaned out in response, raking my nails down his back. Doing so fueled him to speed up, and I felt that pressure in my stomach yet again.

"_Edward!_" I called loudly as I felt my walls tightening around him. His thrusts soon became erratic and he quickened his pace immensely. Our hips collided with such force that my moans turned to squeaks.

He grunted as he bent his head into the crook of my neck and bit down on the skin. I cried out again, arching my back and throwing my head back into the pillows. He groaned again as he rode out both of our orgasms, slowed, and then finally stopped. Edward collapsed on top of me, a fine sheen of sweat covered both of us. Our breathing was heavy and Edward's hair was sticking to his forehead. When we caught our breath, he pulled out and fell beside me. Cradling me to him, he gave my forehead a lingering kiss before settling into the blankets and falling asleep.


	10. So, About Those Grandchildren

**Not mine. :(

* * *

**

"So about those grandchildren..." I rolled my eyes and leaned forward to put my head in my hands. I felt Edward chuckling beside me and he subtly reached over and gave my back a reassuring rub. I looked up for a minute to glare at him. It was almost three weeks later and our mothers had treated us to dinner yet again. Although Edward and I had been getting an earful about grandchildren and whatnot, we still weren't used to the idea of having kids together.

"Um," Edward began, taking the reins on this one, "we aren't sure we're ready for kids just yet." I looked up at him again and he turned to me with an unreadable stare. My mother opened her mouth before I could say anything, though.

"Oh nonsense! I was twenty-two when I had Bella," she chirped, flapping her wrist. I glared at her across the table.

"Which is way too early to be thinking about having any kids, mother," I snapped. My mother's smile faded, but not completely.

"You're only nineteen, Bella. We're not expecting you to get pregnant at such a young age. Just...sometime in the near future." A sigh escaped my lips and I figured that I wasn't going to get anything through my mother's head when she was stuck in her grandchild fantasies.

Edward reached over to grab my hand on the silent ride home. The radio wasn't even playing, leaving us to sink into our thoughts. When he laced our fingers together, I smiled despite the incident over dinner and gave his fingers a light squeeze.

"You know she wasn't pressuring you right?" he says softly, taking his eyes off the road for only a moment. I bit my lip and nodded slowly.

"I know. But it doesn't make it any less annoying to hear it every time I talk to my mom. If I get pregnant, I want it to be because I'm ready to be a mother. She got pregnant at such a young age because she was stupid and didn't use protection. Technically, I was a mistake, but she never treated me like it. I know she loves me and she's anxious for grandchildren, but she needs to be patient and realize that I'm not going to make the same mistakes as her."

Edward stayed silent after I finished, which made me nervous, so I asked another question, the question that had been lurking in the back of my head throughout dinner.

"So...you really want kids?" My voice was so quiet and low that I was surprised Edward heard it over the engine. But he did, and he turned to me with a smile.

"Yeah, I do. I didn't at first but, after that night you cooked for me, I did a lot of thinking. And I came to the conclusion that I would want you to be the mother of my child someday." His answer was honest and well-rehearsed and it brought the silliest smile to my face.

Through all of our differences before the marriage, Edward and I had come a long way in terms of getting along. Hell, I may have even found myself gaining a small crush on him. When he smiled at me, I looked away and blushed. When we kissed, my heartbeat sped up so much that I was sure it wasn't healthy. When we were fighting, I dealt with it because it at least meant we were speaking to each other. And that was entirely enough for me.

Edward and I spent the rest of the evening in the living room like the teenagers we were, watching a movie. I'd made popcorn and brought in soda and we didn't move. Not even at one in the morning did we get up and move to the bedroom. We fell asleep together on the couch, our bowl of popcorn empty except for the kernels and our sodas drained.

I was awake before Edward the next morning and my neck was sore from staying in the same place for so long. When I sat up and looked down at Edward, I smiled. His hair was falling in his face and his mouth was open slightly. Ever few seconds he would snore softly. Unable to help myself, I reached over and brushed his hair out of his eyes. Edward stirred, and his hand reached up to cover mine. After yawning, his eyes fluttered open and he smiled sleepily at me. I couldn't resist returning it.

"Morning sleepyhead," I chuckled, leaning down to press a light kiss to his mouth. He tried going for more, but I pulled away with his hands on my hips. "Your morning breath reeks. Maybe later when you brush your teeth. Want some breakfast?"

"Yeah," he yawned again, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Nodding, I stood up and headed into the kitchen and began breakfast.

We ate mostly in silence until Edward brought up going out with his friends. "I think it's time you met them since, you know, you didn't at the reception," he said while he munched on his toast. I froze, staring at my food. When Edward snapped his fingers in front of my face, my eyes slowly trailed up to his.

"Are you sure?" I questioned. Then he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, they knew we fought all the time before but once they see that we're getting along, they'll love you," he quipped, waving his arms for emphasis. I took time to mull it over.

One out of two things was guaranteed to happen. Either his friends took to me like Edward had said, overlooked Edward's and my previous disliking for each other, or they would hold grudges and hate me. Even though when we were still fighting, I couldn't give a rat's ass if his friends approved of me. I wasn't so sure about that now.

"Um..." I trailed off, still thinking. I made the mistake of glancing up at Edward; his eyes were big and pleading and his lower lip was jutting out. "Oh come on!"

"Please, Bells?" he whined, clasping his hands in front of him as if he were praying. With his pout unwavering, I had no choice but to sigh and agree. "Yay! I promise you won't regret it, Bella!"

As I watched him skip away, all I could think of was a ten-year-old girl.


	11. Had I Been Sober

Sorry it took so long. School is kicking my ass right now.

I don't own anything.

* * *

It became a habit for Edward and I to hang out with his friends almost every weekend. It felt odd being with him so much, but I was elated that he had wanted me to meet his friends. Even though he already knew Alice, I still took the liberty of introducing him to my own friends. We went out for drinks a couple nights and we brought Emmett along since he had taken a liking to my good friend Rosalie. It was cute beyond belief at how the simplest things she said could get the buff blonde to blush. It was almost unnatural how red his cheeks turned whenever Rose made a comment about his muscles, his tattoos, anything really.

The friction between Alice and Edward didn't change much. She was still apprehensive about hanging out with him, but she did it both for me and to save some face. I still didn't know the entire reason she hated him so much, but I had every intention of asking her on our girls' night when Edward went out with the boys. However, it didn't go as well as I had planned.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" she demanded, furrowing her eyebrows. Her eyes were torn away from the movie we were watching and now rested on me. I sighed loudly through my nose, growing more and more irritated with every second she put off telling me.

"Because, Alice, whether you like it or not, we're married now. And I want to know why you hate him so much!" To add emphasis to my final words, I slammed my fist down on my thigh. Alice bit her lip and looked away.

"I just...never liked him, okay? He was always a dick to you - " I cut her off.

"Don't give me that bull shit. Edward and I are okay now. We're happy. So why do you still hate him?" My voice softened and lowered towards the end and I sounded as if I were begging – hell I practically was! I watched Alice stare off into space, the wheels in her head turning. I knew there was a hidden reason she hated Edward and that she just didn't want to tell me. "Alice."

She sighed before looking at me and when she did, I knew the feeling in the pit of my stomach wasn't a good one. "I slept with him. About a month ago. It was before you were engaged and we were both insanely drunk. But I remembered it and so did he. But the day after, he didn't call me like I thought he would. He ignored me and my calls and, I'll admit, I liked him at the time. So when he ignored me like that, it hurt – a lot. And I've just held a grudge. Even when I knew you two were engaged I still tried to contact him but every time I called, he bitch-buttoned me. I just...didn't want to say anything to you because I didn't want you to get hurt like I did."

I was stock-still and then came the outburst. "So you decided keeping something like this from me was a good way to protect me? Alice, if you knew we were engaged, you should have said something to me! Fuck! You should have said something to me the day after you two slept together! Oh, God, Alice, you fucking slept with him? With my husband?"

"He wasn't your husband at the time," she stated firmly, but I could see the fear and remorse in her eyes.

"It doesn't fucking matter! Christ, you had me believing you hated him during all that time we spent shit-talking him! Why didn't you say anything then, huh?" I was standing by now, talking down to Alice as my arms waved wildly. I breathed out slowly. "I think it's best if you leave."

She obliged without a word and as soon as I heard the front door closed, I collapsed onto the couch. She lied to me. They both lied to me. Here I was, little naïve Bella, thinking that Alice hated Edward's guts simply because of me. But I was so wrong. I wasn't sure what it was that I was feeling in my chest, but I had the strangest feeling that my heart was breaking. How could Edward, my husband now and fiance at the time, keep something like that from me? I knew we never spoke of such things now, but a little forewarning would have been nice. My stomach churned at the thought of Edward and Alice together and I shot up from the couch and made a beeline for the bathroom.

I was still crouched over the toilet when Edward came home. The contents of my stomach had long been spilled and now I was just dry-heaving and sobbing uncontrollably. I heard him call my name, and I answered with an unintentionally loud sob, and then his footsteps were rushing towards the bathroom. As I stared up at him, doing so brought on another wave of emotions and new tears found their ways down my cheeks.

"Bella? Bella, what's wrong?" he asked hurriedly, bending down to grasp my shoulders. I shoved him away roughly and he landed on his hands and feet in a crablike position. "Bella?"

"When were you going to tell me?" I hissed, pausing to lurch over the toilet seat. As I looked back at Edward, I almost felt bad for him, sitting there looking confused as a child who walked in on his arguing parents. "Huh? When were you going to tell me you fucked her?"

Usually I would never use 'fuck' as a form of sex, but right now, I was far from civil and from being myself. Edward's eyes shut and his jaw clenched, knowing he was found out. He lowered his chin and reopened his eyes. He sat up on his knees and stared at me pleadingly.

"It was before you, Bella. We were at Jake's and neither of us were thinking. It was before we were engaged," he whispered. I turned a malicious glare on him and he flinched.

"So that automatically means you can get away with not telling your wife that you slept with her best friend?" I lifted a hand and furiously wiped away at my tears.

"Bella, I swear I wouldn't have done it had I been sober. But since I wasn't - "

"You thought it would be okay to take advantage of a drunk woman?" I seethed, my glare intensifying. Edward's mouth opened and closed and normally I would have found it rather funny that he was imitating a fish. But I knew he had no answer for that. "And then you thought it would be okay to hide it from your fiance." I took his silence as a surrender and I stood up, leaving him in the bathroom.

I walked into the room that I hadn't used in weeks. My blankets were still the same, but some of the things I always used, like my alarm clock, had grown dust on them. I made a mental note to clean everything tomorrow. For now, I simply got into bed with the lights off and the blinds shut, letting a fresh batch of tears spring to my eyes.


	12. Are You Pregnant?

Sorry it took so long. School is kicking my ass right now.

I don't own anything.

* * *

"Honey, have you put on weight?" my mother asked one evening. She had called and asked to have a mother and daughter day, so we were at the mall – of all places – and I was trying to shove my thighs into a size two. The pants only went about halfway up my thighs, and I thought that if I tugged any more they would rip. Sighing, I looked down at the difficult pants.

"Well, I have been kind of stressed lately..." I trailed off and pulled my lip between my teeth. I averted my eyes so my mother wouldn't see the tears that had suddenly sprung to them. She noticed, though.

"Oh honey. You and Edward get into a fight?" she cooed. I held back an eye roll. She knew Edward and I used to fight all the time. Now it's the silent treatment.

Granted, I did feel bad about freaking the way I did, but when you find something like that out, it kind of hits you hard. Not to mention, I'd been feeling a little emotional lately. Must have been because of the stress. Edward hadn't spoken to me once since I'd found out, which was almost a week ago. Yeah, living in the same house with someone you're not speaking to or acknowledging takes a toll on you. For the first few nights of our ignorance of each other, I cried because I was hurt by my best friend. Then, I started crying because I missed being with Edward. Then, I started crying just for the fuck of it. I was an emotional wreck.

"Yeah. Nothing we can't handle," I lied smoothly. Oh, I most certainly couldn't not handle it. I missed talking to Edward like I missed my old cat Mitzi. I looked down at the too-small jeans in my hand and passed them off to my mother. She took them with a disappointed frown as I hiked myself up into my old jeans. We left the store empty-handed and went out for lunch.

I couldn't decide on what to order at the restaurant; I was in the mood for something grilled, but something spicy at the same time. However, the menu carried only seafood-related items and the thought of fish made me want to puke.

Speaking of puke, I felt the bile in my throat and shot out of my chair, made a beeline for the bathrooms, almost took out a waitress, and made it to that heavenly porcelain bowl just in time. I spilled whatever it was that I had eaten in the day, which frankly, wasn't all that much, wiped my mouth with a piece of toilet paper, and walked back out. My mother had a look of horror on her face as I climbed back onto the high chair.

"What was that all about?" she asked, still dazed. I shrugged.

"Must have been something I ate," I provided. My mother didn't seem to buy it.

"But you've barely eaten anything at all today."

"I had some toast. That may have been stale..." I bit down on my lip as I continued to look over the menu. The waitress returned with our drinks and I dove for mine, startling both the waitress and my mother. After my little puke-fest in the bathroom, I needed something to make my breath smell less dank. Sure, soda probably wasn't the best way, but it was something and it would soothe my stomach.

"Are you ready to order?" the waitress, Tammy, asked, seeming to have calmed from her initial shock at my actions. She pulled out her note pad and prepared to write anything my mother and I spewed off.

I glanced at the menu once more. "I'll have the seafood platter with a side of tartar sauce and some garlic bread." The waitress and my mother stared at me, when a minute ago I was complaining mentally that seafood would make me sick. I distracted myself from their gazes by taking a sip of my ginger ale. Tammy quickly repeated the question to my mother, who responded quickly, and then Tammy was off.

"Honey," my mother started, pushing her glass aside to lean on the table top. "I need to ask you because frankly, I'm seeing the signs." I furrowed my eyebrows but stayed silent. "Are you pregnant?"

Her voice was a hushed whisper in order to avoid the inevitable stares if someone should overhear our conversation. I stared at her for a while, trying to put the pieces together in my head.

Emotional, nausea, now that I think about it my boobs are kind of sore, weight gain... Oh fuck. And then I panicked.

"I can't be pregnant!" I whisper-yelled frantically. My mother looked elated with a wide grin and bright eyes. I sighed. Of course she would be happy; she was getting her grandchild. "I haven't had sex in...what, four, five weeks?" At this my mother scrunched up her nose and I realized that hearing her daughter was having sex was not something she needed to here.

"Besides," I added, "we used protection! Every time!" I put my head in my hands, trying to think of the possible ways this could have happened.

"You haven't been...unfaithful have you?" My head snapped up to glare at my mother, and she quickly retracted and apologized. "There's only one way to find out."

We sat in the doctor's office; we had already been in, explained our predicament, and I had to pee in a cup. My nerves kicked into overdrive as we waited for the doctor to return with my test results. My leg was tapping furiously on the floor and my head was in my hands. Thoughts reeled in my mind.

But the biggest one of all was, How do I tell Edward? Speaking to him was the last thing on my list of things to do, but if it turned out that I was indeed, carrying his child, I would have to tell him before I started to show. If I didn't before then, he would notice for sure and then get mad at me for not telling him sooner. I sighed. That was not going to be an easy conversation to have.

"Mrs. Cullen?" I looked up at the call of my new name; I hadn't heard it said at all yet and hearing it now brought butterflies to my stomach. The doctor held a clipboard in his hand and he was smiling. My heart sped up to an unnatural rate as I anticipated his answer. "Congratulations! You're pregnant."

And that was when my heart stopped.


	13. Do You Have A Problem?

Sorry it took so long. School is kicking my ass right now.

I don't own anything.

* * *

I was beginning to get annoyed with always having to wake up to run to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Being pregnant was not as glorious as other women thought. But then, cynical me, maybe that's because their husbands know they're pregnant and are ecstatic about becoming a father. Even though I heard him go to bed every night, I knew Edward could hear me in the bathroom, and it made me wonder why he hadn't said anything yet. As if it weren't obvious, I was trying to put off telling him for as long as I could. It was a cold and heartless thing to do, but I was more afraid of his reaction than his learning about the pregnancy.

However, one afternoon, he called me out on it. We were in the living room, on separate couches, and he spoke first after a week and a half of the silent treatment. Maury Povich was on, and Edward had the show muted. He turned to face me fully, his back against the arm of the couch, his arms crossed and his mouth in a thin line.

"All right, Bella," he said quietly but firmly. I sighed silently through my nose. "I know something's up. Don't think I haven't noticed your getting up in the middle of the night to go throw up. Do you...have a problem?" He was almost embarrassed to ask by the aversion of his eyes from mine to the floor. I almost wanted to laugh at his question, but then I saw it logically. I guess it did seem like I had an eating disorder – except for the fact that I was gaining weight!

"No, I do not have a problem," I growled. My emotions were kicking into overdrive and I didn't feel like being reprimanded or accused of having an eating disorder.

"Then why are you throwing up every night, Bella? I've been worried sick about you!" His voice rose in volume and his eyebrows furrowed. In turn, my own anger grew.

"If you've been so worried, then why haven't you done anything, huh?" I shot back quickly. He looked taken aback for a minute and racked his brain for answers. With a sigh, I looked away from him and forced myself to tell him. "Edward, I'm..."

"What, Bella? You're what?" He was frustrated with me, I could tell, but he was really going to have a heart attack when he learned what I was about tell him next. Oh fuck, I jinxed myself.

"Edward, I'm pregnant!" I whispered in a sob, and I finally realized that the new wetness on my cheeks was my tears. It was silent except for the occasional sob that escaped my lips as I stared at the coffee table. I felt him shifting on the couch, but I didn't hear him say anything. All I heard was a sigh.

"When did you find out?" he asked quietly. I choked out another sob. I knew he would be pissed when he found out that I had known for almost two weeks. I hadn't begun to show, but I had enough symptoms that would lead one to thinking I was, in fact, pregnant.

Just as I suspected, Edward lifted narrow eyes to me. "And you didn't tell me? Why?" I bit my lip and stayed silent, but he repeated the question louder and more firmly.

"I didn't know how to, Edward. We were fighting and not speaking. I thought you'd be mad." I sobbed harder and leaned forward to put my head back in my hands. Edward sighed deeply beside me.

"I wasn't going to be mad if you told me, Bella. I told you that I wanted to have kids with you. Not this soon, but there's nothing to do about it now." His voice was softer now, gentler. I took a chance and lifted my eye. His eyes were big and shining, like he was an inch away from tears. "I'm happy you're pregnant, Bella, but I really wish you had told me as soon as you found out."

I frowned and avoided his gaze. He whispered my name, but I still didn't look at him. "I'm sorry," I finally said, lowering my head again. Then I felt Edward's hand rubbing circles on my back, soothing me, and I jumped across the couch to crash into his lap. My arms wound around him tightly and his snaked around my shoulders, holding me to him.

"I just wish you told me, honey," he whispered, bending down to press a kiss to my temple. I blew out a shaky sigh, prepared for another onslaught of tears, but they never came.

"I didn't know how you'd react..." I mumbled. "I was afraid you'd leave." I glanced up at him through my lashes to see him smiling in amusement. "This isn't funny!"

"I just think it's cute how you're getting all worked up about this, even when I told you that I wanted to be a father." I looked away from him and tried to hide my smile. "I can see that, Bells." Then the smile broke through when I heard his nickname for me that hadn't been used in a long time.

"Does this mean we're done fighting?" I whispered, meeting his gaze. Unexpectedly, he dipped his head and his lips met mine. I took this to be a yes towards my question and I shifted so that I was in his lap. When we pulled away, our lips swollen and our lungs breathless, I smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

He grinned at me and then looked down at my stomach. "So, how far along are you?" he whispered, meeting my eyes. I looked up towards the ceiling, counting in my head.

"Well the doctor said about four to five weeks, but that was two weeks ago. So seven." I smiled brightly. He mirrored it and brought my head down to kiss him again.

As our kiss was getting heated, I felt that familiar bubble in my stomach and ripped my mouth off his to bolt to the bathroom in time. I leaned over the toilet as everything I had eaten came spewing back up. I really hated throwing up. Edward came in and pulled my hair back for me while rubbing my back. Tears of pain blurred my vision as I rested my head on my arm.

"This sucks." Edward laughed at my comment and I found myself smiling despite my situation.

"It will be worth it. I promise."


	14. How Would You Feel About Moving?

Sorry it took so long. School is kicking my ass right now.

I don't own anything.

* * *

"Why should I tell her?" I snapped at Edward, who was holding out my cell phone. The name Alice was highlighted in my contacts.

"Because I know that even though you're still pretty pissed at her, you want to tell her and gush and brag and all that shit you girls do when you're pregnant," he answered with a roll of his green eyes. Even though I wasn't completely over the news that Alice had spilled to me, I did want to tell her. So with a sigh, I grabbed the phone from Edward's hand and he left the room to give me some privacy.

Alice picked up on the fifth ring, right before my call went to voicemail. Her voice sounded raspy, probably from lack of use in the few weeks I avoided her.

"Hey Alice," I said quietly. I knew from the silence that followed that she was shocked that I was calling her. At first, I was a little offended that she would think that I would, or could, ignore her forever. "Um, how've...how've you been?"

"O-Okay. I've been okay. Um, what's up? Listen, I'm sorry about what I said. But I couldn't keep it in anymore. Keeping that from you wasn't very best friend-like and I feel horrible about it," she rambled. I bit back a smile.

"I know Alice. But the point is, you told me. Granted, it wasn't the best timing, but I'm just glad you told me. Um, listen, I've, uh...got some news." She was silent, cuing me to go on. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh, my God, Bella. That's...incredible. It...it is Edward's right?" I laughed, and at that moment, I knew we would be okay.

We spent an hour talking about everything from the baby, to Edward, to my parents, to Alice's new boyfriend. From what she told me, Riley was sweet, affectionate, and everything that Alice needed and deserved. He treated her to dinner every week, paying each time, and he never expected anything from her. Apparently this guy was a class-A gentleman who still believed in chivalry. Talking to Alice again felt liberating, like I'd been missing a part of my life. And, in reality, I had. Alice and I were so close since high school that not speaking to her was the worst thing in the world.

After we'd hung up, I got up from the couch and ventured into the kitchen. I stopped, though, when I saw Edward leaning against the wall next to the living room with a smug smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and shoved his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and say it." I squeezed my eyes shut jokingly, waiting for it, but it never came. When I opened my eyes, Edward was right in front of me, smiling appreciatively down at me.

"I'm glad you guys are speaking again," he whispered. "Um, listen. My dad called me yesterday and he said he wants me to start getting comfortable with the whole 'working man' thing, so I'm heading over to his office in a few minutes. I left you some money on the counter for take-out. And I have something I need to talk to you about later tonight."

If that wasn't a cliché cliff-hanger, I didn't know what was. So I bought myself some pizza and took it into the living room to watch pay-per-view. Edward wasn't gone long and when he came back, his mouth was drawn into a thin line. He sat down beside me and didn't look at me for a while. I watched him as his eyes focused on the movie I'd ordered.

"Um," he started, turning his head but keeping his eyes away from me. "How would you feel about moving?" The pizza crust in my hand fell onto the plate and my jaw dropped. Moving? To where?

"To where?" I asked, confused beyond all hell. Edward bit his lip and finally looked at me.

"Well, you remember that farmhouse you and I looked at a while ago?" Slowly I nodded. "Well...there."

"Edward..." I trailed off in a whisper, leaning forward to set my plate down on the coffee table.

"You kind of can't say no, though." He continued when I stared at him. "I already bought it." Without any rational thought, I leaped across the couch and onto Edward. I had the biggest smile stretched across my face and my eyes were blurry with tears.

"Edward! How...when?" I looked up to see him grinning down at me.

"About a month ago. I put the down payment on it and all we need to do is move in." With every ounce of passion I had in me, I leaned forward and kissed him roughly.

Eventually, we ended up in the bedroom and, bathing in the afterglow, Edward brought up something else.

"I also bought us a dog. Well...two."


	15. I Love You

Sorry it took so long. School is kicking my ass right now.

I don't own anything.

* * *

Edward and I were officially moved in about three weeks later. The dogs he bought were quickly named Denny, a Sheltie puppy, and Augie, an Australian shepherd. It took a few days to get everything moved in from the Ugly House, as I resorted to calling it, and I couldn't stop thanking Edward for purchasing the house of my dreams.

The bump in my stomach was getting bigger every week, it seemed, but we still couldn't find out the gender and I hadn't felt any kicking yet. However, every so often, I would feel a flutter in my stomach and before, I thought it was one of Edward's comments. But the next time I visited my doctor, he said that it was the infant. Feeling that flutter in my stomach was the greatest feeling in the world.

One night, Edward and I were curled up in our bed watching "War of the Worlds" on our new HDTV. We were snacking on Tostitos and salsa, completely content with where we were. Denny and Augie were on the floor in front of the TV, playing Tug-of-War with a chew toy.

"So," I started after I swallowed my chip and salsa, "what made you want to buy this house?" Edward sighed beside me and set down his beer. He took his eyes off the movie momentarily to give me his full attention.

"Well I remember before we got engaged that you really liked this house. I did, too. So I talked to the real estate agent and she said that no one had come to look at it yet." He shrugged one shoulder casually, and I couldn't help the wide, and slightly painful, grin that stretched across my face. I leaned up to kiss him briefly.

"You really didn't have to do this, Edward," I said quietly, turning my eyes downcast as a blush crept up my neck. He tucked two fingers beneath my chin and forced me to look at him.

"Yeah I did, Bella. You deserve the best, and I intend on giving it to you." He pulled me in for a not-so-innocent kiss, but I stopped him before it could go any further.

"Not in front of the kids," I giggled, glancing down at our dogs who had turned their attentions to us. Recently, Edward and I had begun resorting to referring to the dogs as our "kids" since they were similar to taking care of one. They had to be fed, paid attention to, and let out to use the bathroom. They were basically children, but with four legs and they couldn't speak.

"Why?" he whined, bouncing on the bed a little. "We haven't in so long!" Sighing, I gestured to my stomach, which was inevitably growing larger. "I'm sure the baby won't mind!"

Then I burst out laughing. "Edward, I'm pretty sure our baby would mind seeing your dick every two seconds. I know I would!" He pouted, but it didn't stay for long, and soon we were laughing together.

However, I couldn't help but recall his words. Edward and I hadn't been intimate ever since he found out I was pregnant. That night was our "celebratory night" and we had agreed that once I started to show, that sex would be put on hold

"God Rachel pisses me off when she starts screaming like that!" I growled at the television. Edward chuckled beside me and agreed. "I just wanna bash her face in."

"Christ, violent much?" he asked, chuckling. I shrugged.

"It's the hormones."

"I hate the hormones!" Edward groaned jokingly. I simply rolled my eyes and smacked his arm. "I do! And the cravings are disgusting."

"Hey, I didn't ask for this to happen." I shrugged and fetched myself another chip piled high with salsa. "Besides, it was half your fault."

"Yeah, I guess that's true... And I remain fully accountable." He grinned proudly and pulled me back into his chest, and we settled back down to watch the rest of the movie.

In the middle though, Edward spoke again. "What are we gonna name the little bugger?" I chuckled slightly.

"We don't even know if it's a boy or girl yet!" He smiled down at me and shrugged.

"Doesn't mean we can't think of names ahead of time."

"True. Well, I've always liked the name Jocelyn for a girl. And for a boy..." I trailed off, thinking. "It may seem plain, but I really love the name John for a boy."

"That is kinda plain. Compromise?"

"I guess so." I nodded. "What names do you like?"

"Well, I'm going with your girl name because I can't think of any other name for a girl that I could deal with. For a boy...what about Derek?" I scrunched up my nose.

"Nah. Sounds too bad ass. Um. How about we think of names later?" I laughed. Edward quickly agreed and kissed my forehead.

"Hey Bells?" he whispered.

"Yeah?" I glanced up at him, and he smiled.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Edward."


	16. The Naming Business

Sorry it took so long.

I don't own anything.

* * *

The next few months were spent buying baby things. We bought identical cribs and made up one of the spare rooms. Since we didn't know the genders of the babies yet – Edward and I both kind of wanted it to be a surprise – we decided to paint the room a light green color, something neutral. Edward tried to argue that green was more of a boy's color than a neutral, but I quickly came back with the fact that the shade we chose would suit both genders. He didn't say anything else after that.

Alice decided to take charge in holding a baby shower and let all of our closest friends know the essentials. At first, I was slightly doubtful about letting the party plans fall into her hands, but I couldn't say no. So I had to spend my free time worrying about what Alice would come up with. Knowing her, she would find a way to thrown in a small bachelorette party since I didn't get to have one. Knowing this only made me worry that much more. However, Edward numerously reassured me that whatever Alice wasn't planning couldn't be worse than his sixteenth birthday party.

"Jasper and Emmett literally tied me to a chair while I got a lap dance from this way too skinny, way too pale bitch." I snorted with laughter, bending at the waist and wrapping an arm around myself. Edward laughed with me, but I noticed a tinge of pink staining his cheeks in an adorable blush.

"Sounds like you guys were a wild bunch of teenagers," I laughed, picking a chopped strawberry off the plate in front of me and popped it into my mouth. My abdomen thumped and instantly I smiled. The babies like strawberries. Edward, seeing my sudden smile, mirrored it and asked what was up. "The babies kicked."

Edward reached over and pressed his palm to my rounding stomach firmly, yet gently, hoping to conjure a reaction. We both chuckled when there was not one, but two sets of kicks. Unexpectedly, Edward leaned over and pressed his mouth firmly to mine, in turn pressing his palm harder against my stomach. The baby kicked twice as hard and we laughed as we parted.

I didn't really expect to become a mother at nineteen – twenty after the baby was born – but that's usually how things like this work. I knew my mother was rather unnaturally happy about my becoming a mother, and her a grandmother, instead of being worried about having a teenaged mother for a daughter. I guess it was the fact that I didn't have much of a life to ruin in the first place; I didn't work since Edward would be making enough money to support the four of us and I really didn't do anything productive around the house.

Alice was kept on-guard by Edward that I do nothing reckless that could injure neither me nor the babies. He'd grown shockingly more protective over us ever since my stomach started bulging. He didn't let me walk up the stairs by myself, claiming that I could slip and fall. He helped me out of the shower every time, even when he knew he was supposed to meet with his father for training for his new job. There was very little now that I could do on my own.

As much as I appreciated the help, I was perfectly capable of maneuvering on my own. The first time I told him this, he blew up. He claimed he was only trying to help so I didn't fall and hurt the kids. Then I screamed back that I didn't need his help. Then he suggested that he just not help me anymore, so that when I'm in a _real_ jam, he wouldn't be there to help me because I didn't ask for his help. That's basically where the argument ended because we both started laughing uncontrollably.

But aside from that incident, with the recent downfall of our sex life now that it was, well, near impossible, Edward was growing friskier and friskier by the _hour_. It was driving me nuts every time he tried to reach his hand up my shirt or skirt if I happened to be wearing one that day. He'd give me this look every time I rejected him and sometimes I had to fight to say no. However, I agreed that when he felt these needs, I would...aid him in relieving himself – just not with my body.

I think he kind of took advantage of that because he knew how bad I felt that we couldn't be intimate completely. He was a vile little snake, but I loved him nonetheless.

Over time, we progressed in thinking up names for the baby, with help from both Alice and Jasper. Jasper suggested we name the boy, should we have one, after him since Edward already promised him rights to be the godfather. Alice, naturally, would be the godmother. It was no lie that while in the same room together Alice and Jasper were making eyes at each other. Sure enough, when Edward and I returned to the living room, they were lip-locked on the couch. Edward and I gave our condolences on their good fortune and we got back down to the naming business.

"I really kind of like Tiffany for a name," Jasper mused, linking his fingers with Alice's. I scrunched up my nose in disgust.

"Do not say that name around me. I think that's an ugly name for a child. A woman, even. Um, how about something...original?"

"Miss Piggy?" Jasper tried again. Swing and a miss, strike two. Sharing a look, Edward and I sighed. "What about Olivia for a girl and Ethan for a boy?"

Silence overtook us as I stared at Jasper like he was Einstein. "You're a bloody genius, Jasper." He beamed proudly and stuck out his chest as if he were Superman.

I leaned back into the couch next to Edward and ran my hand over my stomach. _Hello Olivia or Ethan._


	17. Push!

"How about this one, Bella?" Alice asked, holding a puce blouse up against my chest and almost-fully-rounded stomach. Grimacing, I just stared at her and she pulled the shirt away. "Okay, so puce is not your color." Hanging the shirt back up, she spun on her heel and headed towards the back of Motherhood Maternity. At the thought of the name, I proudly reached down to run my hand over my stomach, smiling blissfully.

In just a few more weeks, I was expected to go into labor. I was both enthralled and petrified of that thought. While the thought of giving birth to my own baby excited me, I was afraid of the pain I'd have to endure to do so. However, that fear was quickly brushed aside when I thought about looking at my own baby for the first time, holding him or her, and watching Edward's face light up at the sight of his son or daughter.

I still couldn't believe Edward, as young as he was, was excited to be a father. I knew he'd be a good one just by the way he treated _me_, always making sure that my needs came before his. Although he could be a little overbearing at times, I didn't halt his efforts at making sure I was okay and accounted for; I thought it was rather sweet, actually.

Alice had deemed we needed a girls' day out before the bachelorette party so she took me to Motherhood Maternity at the local mall for some sprucing up on my wardrobe, since lately all it consisted of was big tee shirts and sweatpants. That was all I'd been able to fit into, but we were sure to pick up a few pairs of jeans with stretch-bands. However, I was a little disappointed by it, since I rather enjoyed lounging around the house in sweatpants all day.

After Motherhood Maternity, Alice decided that we needed some food so we headed to the food court. I whined about wanting a pretzel, but Alice, the overprotective best friend she was, refused to buy me something so full of sodium and bought me a salad instead. So I grumbled all through lunch, watching as she munched happily on her orange chicken and white rice while I picked at my chicken salad.

"Stop whining, Bella," she scolded, but I could tell she was fighting off a triumphant smile as she forked another piece of chicken. I watched helplessly as she lifted it to her mouth. Her eyes met mine and she saw my pout. Sighing, she stuck the fork forward and I squealed happily, leaning forward to pull the chicken off the fork.

However, right before my teeth hit the food, I felt wetness between my thighs. At first, I thought I'd peed myself, but then I looked down and saw the rounded stomach, and I knew. My eyes were wide as my head snapped back up.

"Alice…my water just broke," I told her, trying to stay calm. She huffed out a nervous laugh. "I'm not kidding. Call Edward."

She shot up from her chair and whipped out her phone, saying, "Fuck Edward. We need to get you an ambulance!" So she dialed 9-1-1 and an ambulance was immediately dispatched. We ran – well, Alice ran, I waddled – to the front of the mall, the crowd parting like the Red Sea for Moses. The ambulance was outside when we pushed through the double doors and Alice was already on the phone with Edward.

"Her water just broke. Yes, I know she's not due for another three weeks, but it came early! We're getting in the ambulance now. Just meet us there." She snapped her phone shut and climbed into the back before I was hauled in. They forwarded the call to the hospital, and a wheelchair was already waiting for me in the emergency room.

I was wheeled into a room while Alice made more phone calls to my family and Edward's, but she was back in the room in a flash. My contractions had started, spaced out at first, but the longer I sat in that delivery room, the quicker they were coming and the more painful they were becoming. My parents had shown up, as had Edward's, but Edward himself was still nowhere to be found.

I had been in the delivery room for four hours already, and the doctor was just walking in when my fiancé burst in behind him, flushed and panting. The doctor spun as he pulled on his rubber gloves.

"Ah, you must be the father." Edward nodded. "You're just in time." He gestured to me, but Edward was way ahead of him. I instantly grabbed onto his hand and he cringed, but didn't protest. The doctor began explaining my situation in medical lingo that I didn't understand.

The one word I did understand: _push_. So I did. What resulted was positively the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life. Sweat was pouring from my forehead and tears from my eyes as I screamed in agony, but I never stopped pushing. Edward kissed my forehead and reassured me that I was doing great, and I believed him. I felt my baby passing through me and finally the pain subsided, but the room was silent.

Finally, we heard the wail of a baby.

* * *

Sorry it took so long.


End file.
